Help with a Communion Cake please. UPDATE!

finc · 2 June 2006 at 10:31AM

Hi,
my daughter is making her Communion in 3 weeks and I've decided I might try and make the cake myself :eek:

. I'm not exactly great at baking but just lately have been making bread, malt loaves, banana loaves and all sorts of other ideas I've seen on here so am feeling a bit more confident.

Has anyone else made one before as I need ideas. Normally I ask my auntie to make any cakes I need or I go to Costco mmmmmm

. I had thought of just buying a ready made cake and icing it but I would prefer to make my own. Are there any foolproof and easy recipes out there and what are easy but effective ideas for the icing.

Oh and how far in advance can I make it in case I need to go and buy one anyway :rolleyes:.

Thanks in advance.

recovering_spendaholic · 2 June 2006 at 12:54PM

It's my DD's communion in three weeks too!! I am making cake using1lb flour, sugar and margarine with8 eggs and bit of vanilla and 2tsps baking powder. You just bung the whole lot in a big bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk until it is pale yellow coloured. I then bake cake in a large rectangular roasting dish lined with baking parchment.
When cake is done I split in half and put jam in the miccle and a thin layer of buttercream (marg or butter whipped with icing sugar and a little vanilla). Then I flatten off the top with a knife and cover the whole cake with a smear of buttercream and cover it with rolled out regalice. I use the white regalice from the supermarket, and I have to say that only regalice seems to work properly - the supercook stuff is rank. Once you have done that you can decorate it any way you want - If you have a confectionery suppliers near you you can get all kinds of stuff for decoration - or try www.jane-asher.co.uk - she has all kinds of stuff and most of it is quite reasonable.

Floss · 2 June 2006 at 5:03PM

Gosh you 2 are very enterprising! My 2 DS's got their dad to take us out for a meal for their Communions - most of the other kids were having bouncy castles!

Hope you both have lovely days & glorious weather - enjoy the singing and yes you're allowed to cry a little at the sight of all the kids scrubbed up in their new outfits!

finc · 2 June 2006 at 6:46PM

Thanks for the advice, I've looked at the jane Asher website, their cakes look lovely but pricey. Some nice ideas there though.

I've been googling for more inspiration and think I might try to hire a cross shaped tin and then keep the decoration quite plain. I'm not sure of my cake decorating skills.

Either that or a plain square and try and be a bit more elaborate on the icing.

I was going to try to make a fruit cake as I think I'll be able to make it further in advance so I don't feel too rushed! Does anyone have an easy recipe? How early can I ice it or or it a last minute job?

RacyRed · 2 June 2006 at 8:53PM

Fruit cake as in CHristmas type cake?

Squeaky's post on The Christmas recipe thread might help.

This Irish Whiskey cake of Delia Smith's is very reliable, although you might want to use a non alchoholic alternative to the whiskey

pavlovs_dog · 2 June 2006 at 9:38PM

finc wrote:

I've been googling for more inspiration and think I might try to hire a cross shaped tin and then keep the decoration quite plain.

there's not really much need to hire a tin - if you have a rectangular shaped loaf tin anyway, you can just make one sponge for the horizontal, one for the vertical. cut to size, sandwich them together with cream and jam and then decorate as usual :beer:

recovering_spendaholic · 3 June 2006 at 12:44AM

finc wrote:

Thanks for the advice, I've looked at the jane Asher website, their cakes look lovely but pricey. Some nice ideas there though.

I've been googling for more inspiration and think I might try to hire a cross shaped tin and then keep the decoration quite plain. I'm not sure of my cake decorating skills. Either that or a plain square and try and be a bit more elaborate on the icing.

I was going to try to make a fruit cake as I think I'll be able to make it further in advance so I don't feel too rushed! Does anyone have an easy recipe? How early can I ice it or or it a last minute job?

I didn't mean the cakes on the JA site - they cost a fortune!!! She has a shop which sells icing and stuff like that - bits and bobs to put on the cake and such like - Most of the decorations are only a couple of quid!! If you dont want to hire a cross shaped tin you can bake one in a roasting tin and make a template out of paper in the shape of a cross and put it on the top of cooked cake and cut around it. If you make a fruit cake you can ice it now and it will keep - just stick some marzipan under the icing or it will discolour. I get the white marzipan from Sainsburys or Tescos (own brand). You can make fruit cake in the roasting tin but it will not take as long to cook as if it is in a traditional round or square tin. Good luck!!!

Jay-Jay_4 · 3 June 2006 at 1:06AM

Oh I'm sorry but the Costco rectangle sponge cakes are absolutely delish :drool:.

I would choose one of them above a homemade one anyday.

....here's my safety pin back... I mght as well go off to Marks and Sparks for a readymade Sunday lunch that you just reheat in the oven.

:rotfl:

finc · 3 June 2006 at 10:25AM

Thanks for all your suggestions :T. I didn't think of using my loaf tin, told you I don't do much baking

. I think I'll be trying the Delia (with less alcohol!) fruit cake just so I can bake it in advance then I can buy something if it all goes wrong!

Thanks for the tip for using marzipan, I would've left it out 'cos I don't like it, I didn't realise it actually served a purpose

.

Jay-Jay...buying a Costco cake is still moneysaving in my eyes. £10 for a scrummy cake big enough to serve your entire extended family without the hassle of cooking, worrying, chucking it out and starting again can't be bad. :rotfl:

If it turns out looking ok I might even post a piccie of my efforts.

Jay-Jay_4 · 3 June 2006 at 1:17PM

finc wrote:

Jay-Jay...buying a Costco cake is still moneysaving in my eyes. £10 for a scrummy cake big enough to serve your entire extended family without the hassle of cooking, worrying, chucking it out and starting again can't be bad. :rotfl:

Absolutely :T

Really, £10 isn't that bad at all is it? .The cakes are HUGE and they even ice your own wording on it for that price. It could actually be quite MS compared to the supermarket ones which are about £7 and serve about 8 people.

RacyRed · 3 June 2006 at 7:15PM

Jay-Jay wrote:

Oh I'm sorry but the Costco rectangle sponge cakes are absolutely delish :drool:.

I would choose one of them above a homemade one anyday.

....here's my safety pin back... I mght as well go off to Marks and Sparks for a readymade Sunday lunch that you just reheat in the oven.

:rotfl:

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Awww, Jay-Jay don't hand your safety pin in yet. Are you still on the tichy little gold one? Me too

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Help with a Communion Cake please. UPDATE!

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